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Is rolling a ball down a hill a good experiment to conduct to show evidence of gravity?

a) Yes
b) No
c) Depends on the hill
d) Only if the ball is heavy

1 Answer

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Final answer:

Rolling a ball down a hill is a suitable experiment to show the effects of gravity, as gravity causes all objects to accelerate at the same rate regardless of mass, unless affected by air resistance.

Step-by-step explanation:

Rolling a ball down a hill can indeed be a good experiment to demonstrate the concept of gravity. When any object rolls down a hill, the force of gravity accelerates it downwards. This change in velocity, due to the gravitational pull, can show evidence of gravity's effect on objects of different masses. The mass of the ball does not affect the rate at which it accelerates due to gravity, as demonstrated by Galileo's experiments and supported by the concept that the mass terms get cancelled when conserving mechanical energy, confirming that heavy objects do not fall faster than light objects because of gravity alone. Air resistance, however, may influence the velocity of the objects, which is why in a vacuum, where there is no air resistance, all objects fall at the same rate.

To elaborate on the concept of gravity and how it affects objects in motion, Newton's law of universal gravitation provides an explanation of the forces acting on celestial bodies, such as planets orbiting the sun. Within the experiment's context, variables such as mass, velocity, and height can be measured to analyze the potential energy and kinetic energy transformations that occur due to gravity.

User Hartmut Holzgraefe
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